Photo TIPS! ~ Photography Equipment; when to buy it.

When I started photography as a hobby (as something that I actually decided to give time too) I began with a Casio EX FH100.

Cool stuff :)

It's a point and shoot camera that I spent MONTHS researching because I had a budget, and I knew if I was going to buy something that I was going to make into a hobby then it was going to be the most bang for the buck. Anyways this camera served me well, so well it last me about 5 months. I'm not being sarcastic. This Point-n-Shoot camera opened the doors of the photographic world to me. I took it EVERYWHERE and for those 5 months I took more than  10 thousand pictures. I used it so much that I joined my schools yearbook team and actually became the unofficial school photographer [I was allowed to carry my camera in my hands and take pictures whenever I wanted without any words from the teachers. Cameras weren't allowed during school at my school (like cellphones) so it was kind of a biggish deal].

Now why does this matter to you? Well my point (no pun intended) is that even though I had a regular little Point-n-Shoot camera I used it as if I was using a top of the line piece of equipment. I used it knowing that I was not ready for the VERY (relatively) expensive  DSLR I now own, but I knew that when I would "outgrow" the PnS it would be time for me to go to the next level. That moment was 5 months after I got the Casio. I started feeling limited by the Aperture settings, the frame size, the speed, and lack of control I now understood I would have in a DSLR.

Awesome to own, but not so awesome for the pockets ;)

Cameras and photography equipment can be extremely expensive. It is very important to know when it is time to go to the next level, and sometimes even when that time comes you may not have the money for the equipment. So in order to make sure you have that money sooner rather than later, only buy things you know you will use very often and will chip away the limitations you feel are present.
Consider what the equipment will be used for, why you need it, if there is something that may serve the same purpose and cost cheaper, and if you will actually want to use it (this is a very big factor; the more you desire to use it, the more chances it has in paying for itself).

It's been almost a year and I now own a DSLR with 2 lenses, one cost me an amazing $125 dollars (canon 50mm 1.8 lens. Lenses can cost in the thousands so a very good lens for under $150 is amazing) and the other was given to me as a gift by another photographer. I also have a flash that cost me $250, but I also spent about 1.5 months researching flashes after I realized I needed one (especially since I was doing event photography at night for 2000 people).

Some examples of saving money on things you may need are:
-Use display boards as a reflector (can cost maybe $1) instead of a $30-$80 reflector.
-Use bed sheets as a background rather than using those expensive rolls of cloth (can cost a lot).
-Get a friends help during a photoshoot instead of paying for an assistant. I have a lot of friends that help me out and in return I take a couple of pictures of them and give it to them for free.
-If you get to the point where you want to show off your pictures to the world use free internet services like Facebook, Google+, and other places)
-Always have an eye on your surroundings, a piece of wood on the ground may serve as your next background, a piece of white paper can be used as a reflector, and even a couple of bricks can help raise your eye level without the need of a ladder.

If you have any questions, comments, or answers make sure to comment below or pop me an email.

I took this while standing on a brick.
The shadow under the flower is actually a fence so
I needed something to see over the fence.

Keep Snappin',
ravimi